Jane Jacobs is renowned for her brilliant analysis, in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, of the role of mixed uses, short blocks, building age diversity, and density in making a livable city. The concepts "eyes on the street" and "sidewalk ballet" are familiar to many. I daresay she made the built landscape of Greenwich Village famous.

The suburban garden is the focus of many of Dominique Browning's books. I have not read Paths of Desire but I've read many of her editorials in the former House & Garden magazine and imagine that this book is packed with her lovely narrative style.

Finally, in a post about books written by mothers, we turn to schoolyards. Sharon Gamson Danks visited 150 schools in 11 countries to develop guidelines for schools transitioning from grey to green schoolyards in Asphalt to Ecosystems: Design Ideas for Schoolyard Transformation. She chronicles the different lessons about wildlife, water and energy systems, and agriculture that a green schoolyard can teach. Furthermore, Danks looks at the important role of school-based green landscapes in different types of play.

What are we missing? Please let us know in the comments!

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